The Seductive Utopia of Hope

Some quality analysis by Steven Warshawsky at American Thinker:

"...the Obama campaign truly has taken on a cult-like quality. His starry-eyed supporters actually believe that simply electing Barack Obama as president will solve, not just this country's, but the world's most difficult problems - problems that have been with us since the dawn of history: human conflict, economic scarcity, pollution, fear, and so on. Obama may believe this fantasy himself. Witness his messianic campaign slogan, "We are the ones we've been waiting for," which is repeated several times near the end of the video.

Anyone who spends a few minutes thinking about this, knows that a President Obama never will be able to deliver on this dream of "change" and "hope." And not just because his actual policy prescriptions reflect standard liberal tax-and-spend collectivism. Under any set of policies, the problems facing this country, let alone the world, are not going to go away anytime soon. They are part of the human condition. At best, they can be managed and ameliorated.

Yet how will Obama and his supporters react when they realize that his achievements as president, whatever they may be, will never match his -- or their -- aspirations? Will they react in a mature manner, or will they lash out in anger against those whom they perceive as standing in the way of "progress"? Will they make a good faith effort to work with independents and conservatives, or will they vilify their political opponents (including with charges of "racism") and try to exclude them from meaningful political participation? Frustrated idealists are not known for their calmness, rationality, and willingness to compromise."

Read the whole piece. Thanks to Gagdad Bob for heads up.